US President Donald Trump has said that the journalist who first reported that a US airman was rescued from a downed US plane in Iran must immediately reveal how he got the information. He said that if he does not agree to do so, he should be prepared to go to prison, adding that national security is more important than the popularity of a media organization.
He said that the news is a direct threat to national security and that no one should think that ignoring it is press freedom.
He said that the media coverage of the US-Israeli war against Iran has been very negative, and he was very concerned about it.
After a US fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday, US rescue forces reportedly successfully recovered one of the two airmen on board. But at the time, US troops were already inside Iranian territory searching for the other soldier on the plane, and delaying the release of one soldier could have prevented the rescue of the others, he said.
“We didn’t talk about the first one for an hour. Then someone leaked something, and we hope to find the leaker. We’re working very hard to find the leaker, but we were able to go into enemy territory and rescue the American soldier. We’re not leaving anyone behind,” Trump said at a White House press conference.